


Cat and Mouse

by aerobesk



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, detective!neil, phantom thief!Harrison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 07:55:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13026615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerobesk/pseuds/aerobesk
Summary: Neil watched the two men escorting the Phantom out of the building with mixed feelings. He just couldn’t believe that he had finally managed to catch him. After everything that had happened, every chase, every clue, the robber had had one slip up, and Neil was the only person who would have caught it. And he had.





	Cat and Mouse

**Author's Note:**

> So loeywritesstuff on tumblr has a Detective!Neil / Phantom Thief!Harrison Au and I love it so much I 100% caved and wrote some.

Neil watched the two men escorting the Phantom out of the building with mixed feelings. He just couldn’t believe that he had finally managed to catch him. After everything that had happened, every chase, every clue, the robber had had one slip up, and Neil was the only person who would have caught it. And he had.

He was drawn from the sight by a hand clapping him on the shoulder.

“Well done kid,” his supervisor said. “Bout time that fucker came to justice, and I knew that it’d be you to do it.”

Neil resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The man had tried to convince him to leave the case multiple times, but considering Neil’s commendations when he transferred he had given the boy whatever assignment he’d wanted. He watched him walk away before focusing on the Phantom again.

The man looked… blank. He had always seen him with a cheeky grin, a full on smirk, or occasionally a look of surprise. But he just looked downtrodden now. Like his mind was far away. The men escorting him finished their conversation with the officer stationed outside and pushed him towards the truck waiting for him.

After a few steps he looked up and caught Neil’s eye. There was a flash of something there, but he wasn’t sure what it was. He also wasn’t sure why the spark of emotion caused him to feel better. He should be ecstatic! He had finally caught the elusive robber he’d been after since before he had even moved here. The man had slipped from between his fingers so many times, he’d barely been able to bear it.

But now… he felt blank too. He was about to go so far in his career. He’d have top pick of any assignment he wanted. He was going to get awards and pats on the back and… he could do whatever he’d like. But he couldn’t stop looking at the man’s face, thinking about how his skin showed it’s slightly darker quality in the sunlight.

Before he could think about it, Neil felt himself take a nonchalaunt step backwards. He found himself right in the path of the officers, who stopped momentarily. He looked the Phantom dead in the eye, taking in the honey color of the man’s eyes before he came to a decision.

He took a step forward, bumping him aside as he walked passed, never removing eye contact. Then he walked away, moving toward the building where the chief was standing. He glanced back once, catching the Phantom’s eyes on him as he was shoved into the back of the truck and chained to the wall. Neil placed his eyes forward again, trying to ignore the sound of the truck’s doors slamming closed behind him.

\--

It took Neil a few minutes to realize that the tapping wasn’t coming from the TV at all, but from his window. He stood up from the couch before stretching. For safety he should probably have grabbed his gun, but for some reason it didn’t feel necessary.

He walked across the room to pull back the curtains, opening the door into the frigid night air. His t-shirt didn’t do much against the cold and he wrapped his arms around himself as he stepped out, looking to see if any birds had been possibly standing there. Instead he saw a small object lying on the railing. He stepped forward, curiously picking it up.

  
It was a Valentines card, the kind he got from other kids back in elementary school. He read it, laughing despite himself at the cheesy science line on the front. Then he flipped it over, taking in the pin taped to the back of it. The one that had been taken out of his pocket. There was a little heart drawn on the “To: From:” section, next to the initials PH, scribbled in purple sharpie.

He had been called that morning to be informed of the Phantom’s escape from maximum security. The chief was practically hysterical, asking Neil if he could come in despite the few days he had requested off in order to recharge. He had denied, saying that he would be in bright and early the next day and giving a few key things to be placed on his desk for when he got there. The other man was immediately barking orders on the other end of the line and Neil had to smile.

  
He knew what he should do. He should immediately put it into a bag and take it into the office to see if Phantom had slipped up and left any DNA on it. He should be taking a look at the card to figure out what store sold it and start checking for receipts. He should call the office and have them look at the security cameras across the street to see if he was still hanging out on his apartment building.  
That’s what he should do. Instead he simply slipped it into the pocket of his sweatpants and leaned on the railing, looking at the stars for another minute before treading back inside. He would leave that for tomorrow.

  
\--

  
The Phantom perched on the ledge of a balcony a few floors up on an apartment kitty corner to Neil’s. He smiled as he watched him laugh at the cheesy card, waiting with bated breath until he slipped into his pocket. He felt like he should be running, making it out of eyesight in case the detective decided to take a look around. But he didn’t think that would happen.

  
Sure enough, Neil just stared at the sky for a moment before retreating inside. Harrison sighed, watching the curtains close behind him. He would have to find another way to thank Neil, maybe some other way to reach out to him. He wasn’t sure why the detective had taken the notion to slip the safety pin into his hand. The other man should have been incredibly happy to have him put behind bars forever. But the look in Neil’s eyes had said something. He wasn’t sure what, but there was a spark there. It had meant something.

He shook his head slightly. Only time would tell. Until then, he decided that he would take a break from the major operations. Give them both some time off.

He jumped up and grabbed the edge of the roof to pull himself up before disappearing into the dark. He would have to figure out some way to get in touch with the detective without compromising either of them. But he’d leave that for another day.  



End file.
